Saturday, February 3, 2001
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Voucher movement still kicking

By Phillip Brownlee

President George W. Bush's voucher proposal appears dead on arrival. But the school-choice movement in Kansas and Wichita is still alive and kicking -- though its odds remain long. President George W. Bush's voucher proposal appears dead on arrival. But the school-choice movement in Kansas and Wichita is still alive and kicking -- though its odds remain long.

Bush proposed last week that disadvantaged students who attend chronically low-performing schools receive $1,500 in federal grants. These grants could go toward private school, another public school or tutoring.

"Children and parents who have had only bad choices need better choices, and it is my duty as president to help them," he said.

As expected, many congressional Democrats immediately condemned the plan, vowing to block its passage. And even Bush promptly backtracked, indicating a willingness to negotiate away vouchers as part of a larger education deal. But despite the cold reception in Washington, D.C., vouchers remain a hot topic with some lawmakers in Topeka. At least three plans -- variations of which have been proposed before -- are in the works this session.

House Speaker Kent Glasscock, R-Manhattan, and House Education Committee Chairman Ralph Tanner, R-Baldwin City, still support a voucher research project that they first proposed last year. It calls for a controlled study of 300 at-risk students to examine whether school choice really does improve student achievement.

"My view is that we ought to have the courage to ask ourselves this fundamental question and have the courage to accept the answer," Glasscock said, noting that "all too often we forget that our obligation is not to the system but to our children."

State Sen. Kay O'Connor, R-Olathe, is trying again with a full-fledged proposal that would phase in vouchers over a six-year period. The value of the voucher would range between 25 percent and 100 percent of the state's base per- pupil aid (currently $3,820), depending on the grade level of the student.

State Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita -- who is helping organize support for the Glasscock/Tanner research project -- is also drafting a scaled-down version of a refundable tax credit that she has proposed before. Teachers could receive up to a $100 credit for money they spend on classroom supplies, and parents could recoup a portion of what they spend on books and fees, whether it was for their children's public or private schooling or homeschooling.

"By golly, the state ought to be able to come up with $2 million," she said, referring to the plan's estimated price tag.

In addition to the efforts in Topeka, local education activist Cindy Duckett is spearheading CEO Kansas, which seeks to provide $1,500 K-12 scholarships to low-income students in Sedgwick County. She hopes to raise enough private money to offer 50 to 75 scholarships beginning next fall.

"So far the response has been, 'This is great. How could anybody be against it?' " she said.

But many people are against vouchers, even privately funded ones, because they fear vouchers will weaken public schools by removing students and state dollars. And although an Emporia State University survey last year found that more than 60 percent of respondents statewide said they favored giving parents state money that they could use to send their children to public, private or parochial schools, most state officials and the powerful education lobby fiercely oppose them.

"The support for vouchers from John Q. Public is growing every day," O'Connor said. "But inside the Capitol, it is still a slam dunk to kill it."

As a result, major legislative successes seem unlikely anytime soon, whether in Washington or Topeka. Nevertheless, voucher supporters vow to keep pressing on.

"It's going to take educating people what it is really about," Duckett said.

Said O'Connor: "We'll keep trying, because citizens back home want it."

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Phillip Brownlee, an Eagle editorial writer, writes a personal column on Saturdays. You can reach him at pbrownlee@wichitaeagle.com or at (316) 268- 6262.